


The Illusion of Perfection

by Spades13



Category: Kickin' It
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Bullying, Crimes & Criminals, Drama, Drugs, Emotional Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I made my favourite childhood show dark, I'm incapable of writing happy, My First Work in This Fandom, Near Death Experiences, Of course I would, Oh well I had Fun, Parent Death, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, This isn't a kids show anymore, What Was I Thinking?, i'll stop now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:47:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 11,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25297144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spades13/pseuds/Spades13
Summary: There's a reason Jack's friends have never met his parents. And that reason, Jack intended to keep secret. Unfortunately, things don't exactly pan out that way, and Jack finds himself in a situation that even he isn't sure he can handle.
Comments: 15
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I was clearing up my laptop and stumbled upon an archive of old stories from high school! Most of them are terrible, but I felt like this one had potential. And considering I just started rewatching Kickin' It, I couldn't not post it! So I cleaned it up and made it into something a bit more tolerable and here it is! 
> 
> I think I had this set somewhere in season three, before Jack and Kim became official, in case anybody is curious about the timeline!

“Winner!” the judge pulled Jack’s arm above his head when it was clear his opponent wasn’t going to get up and continue the fight. 

“YES!” a collective cheer rang out from the Wasabi Warriors and they all rushed Jack with smiles and shouts of joy. 

“The undefeated champ remains undefeated!” Rudy gloated at the other senseis before turning back to his students. “Awesome job, guys! This might have been our best tournament yet!” 

“Speak for yourself.” Milton huffed. “I lost in five seconds.” 

“Actually it was more like three.” Jerry corrected with a smile. 

“Not helpful.” Kim smacked Jerry upside the head. 

“Don’t worry, Milton.” Jack gave him a firm pat on the back. “You’ll get ‘em next time.” 

“Maybe.” Milton shrugged. 

“You will.” Milton’s dad suddenly appeared from behind and placed his hands on his son’s shoulders. “I’m proud of you, son.” 

One by one the kids’ parents came up to congratulate them on their victories. Jack and Rudy just chatted on the edge of the mat for a couple of minutes while the dojo emptied out. 

When everyone but his friends and their families had gone, Jack took the opportunity. “I’m gonna go change, see you tomorrow for practice!” he gave Rudy a wave and ducked into the empty changeroom. When he was finished changing he heard Jerry and Milton entering. 

“Jack!” Jerry half shouted as he went for his gym bag. “We’re going to get froyo, you in?” 

“Yeah, of course.” Jack slung his bag over his shoulder with a smile. “I’ll meet you guys there?” 

“See you soon!” Milton called over his shoulder. 

As he left the changeroom, Jack heard Kim’s mom’s voice from across the mat. “Oh, Jack! Congratulations on your win!” 

“Thanks, Mrs. Crawford.” Jack headed over to the family of three. “You did great too, Kim.” 

“Thanks Jack.” She smiled and turned back to her parents. 

“You should both be very proud of yourselves.” Mr. Crawford practically beamed. “You represented your team wonderfully.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Jack nodded. “Hey, Kim. The guys and I are going to get celebratory froyo, you in?” 

“Uh…” Kim glanced at her parents who gave a nod of approval. “Yeah, I’m just gonna go change.” 

“Cool, I’ll meet you over there.” Jack nodded in the direction of the frozen yogurt shop as Kim scurried into the girls’ change room. “Thanks for coming to cheer us on, Mr. and Mrs. Crawford!” Jack waved and darted off before he could get trapped in a conversation with them. 

Jack speed-walked towards his friends’ favourite yogurt shop and parked himself at a nearby table to wait for the rest of his crew. He pulled out his phone and fired off a text to his mom saying he’d won and was hanging out with his friends for a bit before heading home. 

**Congratulations sweetie! Try not to be too late** was what he got in return. 

A few seconds later, Jack’s friends pulled up their seats and chatted idly while snacking on frozen yogurt. Jack laughed along and made jokes the way he always did until the conversation took a turn. 

“Oh, Jack, my dad was really impressed with your win.” Jerry tried not to spit his dessert everywhere while delivering the message. “He said he could barely keep up with you, you were going so fast.” 

“Oh, tell him I said thanks.” Jack smiled and gathered a spoonful of mostly sprinkles. 

“Hey, Jack, why don’t your parents ever come to our tournaments?” Milton wondered and Jack nearly choked on his spoon. 

“Come to think of it, have we ever met your parents?” Kim added on, unable to recall ever seeing Jack with his family. 

“Uh, well, they don’t really like karate.” Jack managed once he had remembered how to swallow. “It freaks them out when I get hit. And when I hit other people. And when other people hit other people. It’s just not for them.” 

“Well, my parents were scared at first too,” Kim offered, “but once they saw me win and realized I was capable, it stopped bothering them so much.” 

“Wait, didn’t your grandfather teach you?” what a fortunate time for Jerry to have a good memory. “So didn’t your parents watch you grow up doing karate?” 

“Yeah, but they still don’t like it.” Jack tried his best to keep a level tone. “They saw me lose to Kai and haven’t come to a tournament since.” 

“That makes sense.” Milton agreed. “Witnessing your previously undefeated child being beaten into the ground by his own cousin could be incredibly traumatic and induce a PTSD like state in your parents which causes them to associate your tournaments with that mental image, like Jerry with his Saltines.” 

“Don’t. Even. Bring it up.” Jerry snapped. 

“Yeah, what Milton said.” Jack rolled his eyes with a smirk. “Anyways, I gotta run. See you guys tomorrow!” 

Before anybody could object, Jack had grabbed his bag, clipped on his helmet, hopped on his skateboard, and sped out of sight. Truth be told, he didn’t really want to go home. In fact, he would much rather stay and chill with his friends. But their sudden questioning had caused a cold fist to grip Jack’s heart. He just needed to go. 

Jack knew that this interaction would happen at some point. He was surprised it had taken nearly three years for his friends to ask about his family. But that didn’t make the conversation any easier. Or less nerve-wracking. 

Time flew, and suddenly, Jack was in his driveway, staring at the perfectly average looking house before him. He took a deep breath before picking up his board, clipping his helmet to his gym bag, and heading up the driveway to the side door. His mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway, but Gareth’s was. He paused for a second at the door, but told himself it was better to get it over with than stand outside staring at a brick wall. 

Jack stepped into the house as quietly as possible, slipped his shoes into the closet, and hung his hoodie up before creeping up the stairs. He could hear the TV in the living room, meaning Gareth was back there. Jack let out a tiny groan. His bedroom was upstairs. The staircase was in the living room. He considered he might be able to sneak by without being noticed, but he never had before, so why would he be able to now? So he just took a breath, straightened his shoulders, and headed for the staircase. He made it to the bottom step before a voice made him freeze. 

“Where do you think you’re going?”


	2. Chapter 2

“Where do you think you’re going?” Gareth turned in his recliner to face Jack, who had one foot on the first step. 

“To my room.” Jack shot back, refusing to let his voice waver. 

“I don’t think so.” Gareth glared at Jack, almost as if he was willing the boy to burst into flames. “The house needs cleaning.” 

“I’m not your maid.” Jack spat and took another step towards the top floor. 

“Well the Bitch isn’t home, so you are.” Gareth grumbled. 

“Hey.” Jack snapped. “Don’t talk about my mom like that.” 

“The woman’s my wife. I’ll talk about her how I damn well please.” 

“The ‘woman’ has a name.” 

“You need to learn some respect, boy.” Gareth shook his head and lurched out of his chair, exhaling through his nose like an angry bull as he stalked towards the staircase. 

“Why should I respect a drug lord who treats my mom like dirt and-” 

It went against every instinct in him to not dodge as Gareth pinned Jack to the wall by his neck. The grip wasn’t tight enough to cut off his breath, but the force of his head connecting with the wall rendered him silent. 

“How many times do I have to explain to you that I pay for your existence.” Gareth practically growled. “I put a roof over your head. I put food on the table. I paid off your daddy’s hospital bills. I kept the bitch out of debt. I practically fished you two out of the gutter. You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for me. So I. Demand. Respect.” 

Jack simply glared back. “Not. Gonna. Happen.” 

“You asked for it.” Gareth shrugged. He moved his hand from Jack’s throat to his hair and tossed him down into the living room. 

Jack simply ignored the fact that he was being tossed around like a ragdoll. At this point, he was used to it. That was sad… wasn’t it? 

_“Why do I put up with this?”_ His mind wandered as he vaguely registered his face being mashed into the carpet. _“I could just run away.”_ But he really couldn’t. Where would he even go? The only existing family he had was Kai and his parents. He hated them, and didn’t even know where they lived. He’d have to leave the dojo, his friends, and his mom. He could never leave her. He couldn’t live with himself if he allowed her to endure the daily beatings he took to keep her relatively unharmed. The more Gareth tired himself out with Jack as a punching bag, the less likely his mom was to get hurt. Sure he still smacked her around from time to time, but not nearly as much as he used to before Jack started intervening. 

_“Why do I even try?”_ his mind wandered as his head once again slammed into a wall. He wasn’t sure which way was up, only that he was likely concussed. _“What’s the point of protecting someone who got us into this mess in the first place?”_ Sometimes he felt like he resented his mom for ending up with Gareth. But then he remembered that Gareth had swooped in just months after his father’s death and was there for his mom. Gareth had been so nice at first. He’d helped jack’s mom get back on her feet and heal from her previous husband’s death. But slowly, Gareth began showing his true colours. And now he practically had Jack and his mom on strings like marionettes. Puppets to do his bidding while he sold drugs and drank beer. 

Jack got lost in his own head for a while, thoughts wandering from the dojo to school, to his shit life at home, until he eventually realized that the room had gone quiet, and he was laying on the kitchen floor, alone. He sat up slowly, wincing and groaning with each move. The room was spinning, confirming his concussion suspicion. 

“Jack?” His mom’s voice made him flinch. “Jack, baby, what happened?” She dropped her groceries and was on the floor in a second. 

“It’s fine.” Jack brushed her off and grabbed the counter to drag himself off the floor. Somehow, his gym bag was still slung over his shoulder, and the uneven weight caused him to lean slightly. “I’m fine.” 

His mom held back tears as he leaned on the counter for a second, willing the floor to stop rocking beneath his feet. “Sweetheart… I’m so sorry.” 

“Mom, really, I’m fine.” Once the floor settled, he headed for the stairs. “I’m just gonna go lay down.” He kept a hand on the wall as he ventured upstairs, steadying himself against the waves that seemed to crash all around him. 

Eventually, Jack made it to his room. His haven. He locked to door, dropped his bag, and flopped onto his bed. Most of his time at home was spent staring at his four burgundy walls. At least he had lots to look at. Bobby Wasabi movie posters, pictures from his training and tournaments, his medals and trophies, all of his belts, and photos of him and his friends and family were scattered about the room with no sense of organization. It was more fun that way. Having decorations arranged coherently got boring quickly. 

While he was staring at a picture of his dad, Jack heard the front door slam open and the screaming start. It hadn’t occurred to him that Gareth had left the house, but his return was loud and angry. He wanted so badly to leap out of bed and rush down there to defend his mom, but his body refused to move. He was too exhausted. He was too dizzy. He couldn’t do it. He was stuck listening to Gareth scream at his mom. 

“I’M SICK OF THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING WASTE OF SPACE FREELOADING SORRY EXCUSE FOR A SON OF YOURS! HE HAS NO RESPECT FOR ME OR THE THINGS I DO FOR YOU! HE’S LUCKY I DON’T KICK HIM OUT ON THE STREET OR SELL HIM OFF!” 

His mom kept her voice lower, he couldn’t hear what she was saying. He knew how she sounded though. Terrified. Meek. Small. 

“I DON’T CARE IF HE’S NOT OVER THE ASSHOLE WHO LEFT YOU IN DEBT! I WILL NOT BE DISRESPECTED IN MY OWN HOUSE!” 

_“Yeah. Sure. Dad got cancer and died and left us in debt on purpose.”_

The screaming went on but Jack just tuned it out. He refused to believe a word that came out of Gareth’s mouth. He simply rolled over, pressed a pillow around his ears to block the noise, and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When Jack’s alarm went off the next morning, the house was quiet. He could hear snoring on the other side of the wall, meaning Gareth was asleep. Thank god. 

Once showered and dressed, Jack popped a couple of pain killers for his aching torso and headed downstairs. 

“Morning.” He smiled a tiny smile at his mom, who was sitting at the dining room table drinking coffee. 

“Good morning.” She smiled back. “Got any exciting plans today?” 

“It’s Monday.” Jack mused as he pulled the box of corn flakes out of the cupboard. “How much excitement could there be?” 

“That’s fair.” She sipped her coffee and watched her son prepare himself a bowl of cereal. 

“Just school and karate.” Jack sighed and dropped into his chair. 

“What time will you be at the dojo until?” 

“I dunno. Until Rudy kicks me out.” 

“So, late?” 

“Probably, yeah.” 

They sat in silence for a minute or two, Jack slowly munching on his breakfast, his mom quickly draining her coffee cup. Once her first cup of morning elixir was gone, she got up to refill it. When she turned her back to Jack, he jumped up from the table before the sight even registered. 

“Mom…” her hair was tied up in a messy bun, leaving the back of her neck exposed, allowing Jack to see the purple handprint peeking out from the collar of her robe. 

“It’s nothing, Jack.” She quickly turned around and tried to give a reassuring smile, but failed miserably as her face contorted into a grimace. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” 

“Why do you stay with him?” He blurted without thinking. His mom looked shocked. As much as that question had hung between them for the last five years, neither of them had ever asked it aloud. “Why? He treats you horribly. You deserve so much better.” 

“Jack…” she leaned back against the counter and pinched the bridge of her nose. “It’s more complicated than you may think…” 

“What’s complicated about it?” he was practically begging. “He throws me around, does nothing but scream at us and treat you like a servant, sleeps with every woman he sees, sells drugs for a living-!” 

“Jack. Stop.” 

“No, mom. I need an answer. I need to know why you stay with him.” 

“Well… Maybe if you didn’t challenge him all the time he wouldn’t be so quick to-”

“Are you serious?” Jack interrupted. 

“You do have a habit of talking back and picking fights.” She shrugged, refusing to make eye contact. “If you just backed down he might not feel the need to beat you so often.” 

Jack’s mouth hung open for a second before he shook his head and regained focus. “You do realize that I’m a second-degree blackbelt, don’t you? I could easily defend myself against him. Hell, I could kick his ass any time I want.”

“So why don’t you?” The question wasn’t a challenge, more of a desperate curiosity. 

“Because the more energy he uses knocking me around, the less likely he is to hurt you.” 

Now it was his mom’s turn to stare slack jaw and search for thoughts. “Jack… Baby… I-”

“Forget it.” Jack grabbed his bags and board, stuck his helmet on, and headed for the door. “I gotta go to school.” 

“Okay… I love you.” His mom called down the small flight of stairs as he stepped into his shoes. 

“Bye.” Was all he said back. 

Jack went through his usual morning routine of riding to the dojo, dropping off his gym bag, then heading to the school. He was running early due to his fight with his mom, so when he got to school he planted himself on the bench near his locker and pulled out his phone. Or. He tried to pull out his phone. 

“What the-? Damnit.” He’d left his phone on the charger in his room since he hadn’t plugged it in the night before. “That’s great.” He sighed to himself. For once, he wished he had some homework to fill his time. He checked the clock, and didn’t have enough time to get home and back before school started. If he was late one more time he’d get detention. “Well… today will be fun.”


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Jack reached the dojo after school, he’d forgotten all about his phone. The day hadn’t been horrible without it; he knew people in all of his classes so he wasn’t bored without the device, however, he had a strange, gnawing feeling in his stomach all day. It felt like he’d missed something important because his phone was sitting at home on his nightstand. 

“Whatever.” He told himself as he closed his locker and headed for the mats. “It’s nothing.” 

Kim led warmup and stretch that day, then Jack took over for basic drills and conditioning. He thanked his past self a million times for remembering to pack painkillers to take before practice. If he hadn’t, he’d be dead in a heap on the mat by now. 

“Okay, let’s get to work.” Rudy announced once his students were through with their strength training. “We’re reviewing our tournament videos today, one by one, Kim, you’re first.” Rudy sent Jerry and Milton to work their back kicks, told Jack to focus on his bo staff routine, and he and Kim headed for the TV. 

Jack let his mind blank out as he went through the motions of his routine. The only thoughts that managed to float through his mind were notes and critiques he would write down and work on after each run through. 

“Hey, Jack?” Kim came up to him once he completed the sixth run-through of his routine. 

“What’s up?” He asked, slightly out of breath and a bit dizzy. His head was still bothering him, but not enough to keep him out of practice. 

“Can we spar? I want to try something Rudy pointed out in my tournament video.” 

“Yeah, for sure.” He set his bo staff aside and took a few breaths while he and Kim walked to the center of the mat. 

“Ready?” Milton asked when he recognized the focus across both of their faces. “Go!” 

Jack barely took a step forward before Kim’s foot connected with his rib cage and knocked him to the ground. 

“Hey, it worked.” Kim exclaimed. “Rudy! It worked! Jack wasn’t that-? Jack?” Kim finally noticed that Jack was on the ground, writhing and clutching his side. “Jack! What’s wrong? Are you okay?” 

“Holy Christmas nuts, Rudy!” Milton called when he noticed the commotion. 

“Jack I’m so sorry, I didn’t think I’d hit you that hard, I’ve never knocked you down with a roundhouse before!” Kim couldn’t stop rambling as Jack just grunted in pain. He could hardly hear her. 

“Jack!” he heard that. Rudy’s shouting was loud. “What happened?” 

“I was just trying the roundhouse right off the bat like you suggested and he went down.”

“Jack, are you okay? Do I need to call an ambulance?” 

“No.” Jack managed through short breaths. “I’m fine.” 

“You don’t look fine!” Jerry argued. 

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Jack forced himself into a sitting position, fighting the urge to just lay back down and sleep. “I just got hit in the exact same spot yesterday. Plus, I’m tired and that kick came out of nowhere. I just need to rest a minute.” 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Kim’s eyes were wide and full of worry. 

“I’m sure.” Jack smiled back. 

“Well, go lay down in my office.” Rudy helped Jack to his feet. “If you don’t feel better in half an hour I’m calling your parents to come get you.”

“Really, Rudy, you don’t need to do that.” Jack shook his head. 

“Just lay down for now.” 

“Okay…” Jack heaved a sigh and shut the door. “Great…” He remembered very little of the previous night, but from the searing pain in his side, he assumed Gareth had kicked him in the ribs a good number of times. Kim never would have been able to take him down so easily had he been in better condition. The most she would have done was catch him off guard. “Whatever…” He sighed again as he eased himself onto Rudy’s couch. He just needed to rest for a minute or two. He’d be fine. 

Jack must have dozed off because he woke up to Rudy calling his name. 

“What?” Jack groggily sat up and rubbed his eyes. 

“Wow, you are tired.” Rudy mused. He’d sent Jack to lay down less than fifteen minutes prior and had shouted his name about fifteen times before he finally woke up. “Alexander is here.” 

“Alexander?” Jack blinked through his haze of sleep. 

“Your stepdad? Alexander?” Rudy gestured out into the dojo and Jack turned to peer out the door. There was Gareth, looking over the trophies on the shelf. 

“Oh.” Jack tried to hide his confusion as he dragged himself off the couch. 

“Jack,” Rudy grabbed Jack’s arm to keep him from leaving the office, “Is everything okay?” 

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Jack shrugged. 

“Just… Making sure.” 

“Everything’s fine, Rudy.” Jack smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “I should go see what he wants.” 

Rudy released Jack and followed him out into the dojo. He felt kind of strange about the whole thing but decided to let it go. Jack was clearly exhausted, which would explain the mild confusion upon waking up. 

“Uh, Alexander?” Jack called when he was a few feet away from his stepdad. “What are you doing here?” 

Gareth turned around with a grim look on his face. “I came to get you. We need to go.”

Jack’s insides twisted into a knot immediately. “What? Go? Why? I’m in the middle of class.” Not once had Gareth picked him up from anything. 

“Jack, it’s an emergency.” Gareth pressed, somehow keeping his composure. He was a good actor, Jack had to give him that. 

“Emergency?” Jack’s heart sank even more. 

“Yes, now come on, we have to go.” 

“Can I get changed first?” 

“No.”

“Let me just-”

“Jack.” Gareth warned in a lethally low tone. “Now.” 

“Okay fine.” Jack finally submitted. “Sorry, Rudy.” 

“It’s fine, I’ll keep your stuff locked in my office.” 

“Thanks.” Jack tried for a smile then slunk away. 

“I hope everything’s okay.” Kim bit her lip as she watched Jack and his stepdad head for the parking lot. 

“Is it just me, or did something seem… off… about him?” Milton asked. 

“No, somethings weird about that guy.” Rudy agreed. 

“Well, we’ve finally met one of Jack’s parents.” Jerry cut in with a smile, earning unimpressed looks from everyone else in the room. “What?” 

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

A couple of hours later the class was finishing their cool-down stretches and Rudy was tidying up when two police officers came into the dojo. 

“Uh, can I help you?” Rudy met the cops under the archway with his students close behind. 

“We’re looking for Jack Brewer.” One of the officers flashed her badge. 

“Jack?” The uneasy feeling returned to Rudy’s stomach. “He left a couple of hours ago.”

“He left?” the officer asked while her partner jogged out of the dojo, saying something into his radio. “Was he alone?” 

“No, his stepfather came to get him. Is he in some kind of trouble?” 

“Thank you.” The officer followed her partner out of the dojo and they jogged out of sight. 

“Huh, that was weird.” Jerry broke the silence. “Wonder what Jack did to have the police after him.” Again, everyone glared in his direction. “What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, I just got back to work so I've been pretty busy. Hope y'all are enjoying the story!


	5. Chapter 5

“For once in your life could you just cooperate?!” Gareth hissed and dug his nails into Jack’s bicep once he was sure they couldn’t be seen through the windows of the dojo. “When I say we’re leaving, we’re leaving.” 

“Where are we going?” Jack shot back, refusing to give into the intimidation, even if his heart was racing at a thousand beats per minute. “Why did you say your name was Alexander?” 

“Get in the car.” Gareth shoved Jack against the passenger side door of a black Toyota. 

“This isn’t your car.” Jack watched as Gareth walked around to the driver side and opened his door. 

“It’s Alexander’s.” Gareth rolled his eyes before switching back to his menacing tone. “Get in.” 

“Okay! Okay.” Jack didn’t even have his seatbelt fastened before Gareth pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the highway. “Gareth. Where are we going? What’s the emergency? Is mom okay?” 

“SHUT UP!” Gareth slammed his fist into the top of the dashboard and Jack did indeed shut up. “DON’T ACT LIKE YOU DON’T KNOW.” 

“Don’t know what?!” Jack practically begged as they merged onto the highway, going in the opposite direction of their house. 

“This.” At first, Jack thought Gareth had just punched him in the side, but soon realized his phone was caught between the meaty hand and the bruised ribcage. 

“What are you talking about?” Jack grabbed his phone and unlocked it. 

“The bitch ratted me out to the cops. And you were in on it. Don’t act innocent.” 

“I-” Jack opened the text from his mom and his eyes widened. 

**Jack, I thought about what you said. Thank you for pushing me. I’m going to the police after work. Act normal and stay as late as you can at the dojo. We’ll be out of this soon. I love you.**

“I didn’t know.” Jack shook his head and instinctively moved to text his mom back. 

“DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!” Jack froze. “Take out the battery.” 

“What?” 

“TAKE OUT THE BATTERY!” Jack pried the battery out of his phone with shaking hands. “Now snap it.” Jack hesitated for a moment. “I SAID SNAP IT!” He complied, anxiety tightening in his stomach as his communication line lay shattered in his hands. “Now. I suggested you follow my orders directly, unless you want your bitch of a mother to end up dead in a ditch.” 

“She’s with the police, how could you-?” 

Gareth tossed his head back with a laugh. “I don’t think you understand how much power I actually have, boy.” 

“Fine! I’ll do whatever you say, just leave her alone.” 

“Damn right you’ll do what I say. Now shut up and drink this.” He tossed a water bottle into Jack’s lap. 

“What is it?” 

“I SAID SHUT UP AND DRINK!” 

Jack screwed the top off of the metal bottle and took a sip. The bitter taste surprised him and he coughed for a second. 

“Drink it.” Gareth practically growled. 

Jack sighed before chugging the contents. It wasn’t as bad now that he knew to expect the unpleasant flavour, but he still had a difficult time choking back the last few sips. 

“Now be quiet. I’m done talking to you.” 

Jack wrapped his fingers tightly around the now empty water bottle and stared out the window. His brain hadn’t quite processed the position he was in, so he was able to just watch the trees and other cars pass by as they zipped along. The silence and scenery must have made him tired, because he soon found himself fading off. 

“Goodnight, Jack.” Was the last thing he heard before his head fell back and his vision swirled into darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

“Have you guys heard from Jack at all today?” Rudy ran up to Milton and Kim as soon as they came through the door. “He normally stops by before school, but he didn’t today.”

“No, he wasn’t at school today.” Kim shook her head. She was worried. Really worried. Not once had Jack missed school without texting them.

“I haven’t heard from him either.” Milton had been biting his nails since lunch.

“I hope he’s okay.” Rudy fiddled nervously with his belt as he went back to pacing.

“GUYS.” They all jumped when Jerry exploded through the doors and stumbled through the lobby. “RUDY! Turn on the news!”

“What?” Kim caught Jerry before he could tumble over the bench on the edge of the mat. “Jerry what-?”

“Just turn it on!” Jerry tore out of her grasp as Rudy fumbled for the remote and got the news going.

_…year old Jack Brewer has been reported missing._

“WHAT?!” silence fell over the dojo as a picture of Jack celebrating a tournament win filled the screen.

_He was last seen at the Bobby Wasabi dojo at around four-thirty on Monday afternoon. His stepfather Gareth Blake picked him up early from class, neither of them have been seen since. Investigators believe this to be an act of parental abduction. Jack was last seen wearing a white karate gi and a green tee-shirt. If you have any information of the whereabouts of Jack Brewer and Gareth Blake…_

Rudy turned off the TV and dropped the remote.

“He’s gone…” Jerry finally broke the silence. “Jack is… gone…”

“He’ll be okay.” Kim was pacing back and forth like a caged lion. “I mean, it’s Jack. He can handle anything.”

“Kim’s right.” Milton tried to lift the spirits of those around him, but his heart, too was pounding against his ribs, trying to escape his chest. “This is Jack we’re talking about. If he can take down a third-degree blackbelt with a broken hand, he can do anything.”

“Guys, I appreciate the optimism here, but this is different.” Rudy didn’t want to say it just as much as the kids didn’t want to hear it. “Let’s go to the police station and find out if there’s anything we can do to help out. Jack needs us right now.”

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_“Woah, what a weird dream.”_ Jack thought to himself as he woke up. His room seemed darker than usual. And his bed less comfortable. Wait. Had he fallen asleep in his gi? _“That crazy dream… wasn’t a dream… was it?”_ he went to rub the sleep out of his eyes like he did every time he woke up, but when he tried to bring his left hand to his face, his right shoulder protested. _“What the-?”_ as he fully came around, Jack realized his hands were bound behind his back, there was some kind of fabric in his mouth being held in by duct tape, and his feet were tied together. He tried to sit up, but his head quickly connected with something above. He could tell he was in motion. Was he in the trunk of a car?

Jack struggled against the rope at first, but after what could have been seconds or hours, all he managed to do was chafe his ankles and make his wrists bleed. Even if he did manage to get free, what could he do? He could feel that the car was moving fast, so he wouldn’t be able to bail without major road rash or getting hit by another car. And if he did somehow manage to get away without dying, he took Gareth’s threat against his mom seriously. He wouldn’t put her in danger. And so, he just lay there, trying to find a position that was any semblance of comfortable. Before long, he gave up on his tossing and turning and just tried to ignore the ache in his… well… everywhere.

They were driving for what seemed like forever before the car finally slowed a bit and Jack could feel that they were merging off of the highway. His heart sped up as he realized that they might be stopping, which meant Gareth might take him out of the trunk. With each turn they made, Jack’s shoulders and hips groaned in pain. He wasn’t used to staying still for so long, especially with no option to move.

Eventually, the car came to an abrupt stop and Jack let out a grunt as he was thrown into the back of the seats. He listened, trying his best to keep his breathing steady as he heard Gareth turn off the car, open the door, and shout a greeting to somebody. He couldn’t quite hear what was being said at first, but after a few minutes, the voices came closer.

“…just check on the boy. Can’t have him causing trouble.” Gareth’s voice sent a chill across Jack’s entire body. For the first time, he realized how powerless he was. And that was terrifying.

“Just hurry in.” An unfamiliar man’s voice called back. “I got a couple a whores waiting.”

“Will do!” The voice was right on top of him now. Jack didn’t even have time to think before the trunk opened and he had to shut his eyes against the outside world. It was nearly dusk, but having spent so much time in the darkness, the minimal light pierced his eyes like flaming daggers.

“Oh, you woke up.” Gareth mused before grabbing Jack by the hair and yanking him into a sitting position. “Enjoy the ride?” he snickered while ripping the duct tape off of Jack’s face and pulling out the rag that had been trapped inside his mouth.

“Where are we?” Jack demanded as soon as he was able. His voice was hoarse and his throat was dry and sore. How long had he been asleep?

“Oh shut up.” Jack’s head snapped to the left as Gareth backhanded him. “You don’t need to know. Now drink up.”

Jack looked back up to see a plastic water bottle in Gareth’s hand. He clamped his mouth shut and turned his head away, remembering what had happened last time he’s been made to drink something.

“Oh don’t be a pussy.” Gareth roughly grabbed Jack by the jaw and forced his mouth open. “It’s just water this time. Now drink it.” Jack complied, though, it wasn’t as if he had much of a choice in the matter. Gareth practically had the water bottle straight up and down against Jack’s mouth. He gulped the water down as fast as he could, but about two-thirds of the way through, he choked and began coughing, which only caused him to inhale more water, which led to more coughing. “What are trying to do? Drown yourself?” Gareth just laughed as Jack hacked up the water, coughing painfully until his lungs settled down. “Don’t try to pull shit like that.” Jack just glared back. “You don’t get to die until I’m ready to kill you, understand?”

Jack felt like his heart stopped for a moment when Gareth said that.

“I said. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” Gareth’s fists were tangled in Jack’s gi and their noses were no more than an inch apart as he screamed.

“Yes.” Jack felt his glare melt into terror as he shut his eyes and turned away.

“Good. I’m glad we understand each other.” Gareth released him and grabbed the rag off the ground. “Now, do I need to put this back in? Or are you going to keep quiet?”

“I’ll be quiet.” Jack practically whispered. He didn’t want to be choking on that thing for who knows how long again.

“Good choice.” Gareth tossed the rag into the trunk. “Just remember if you do decide to waste your time, nobody will hear you scream. At least, nobody who cares.” With that, Gareth slammed his foot into Jack’s sternum, sending him crumpling back onto the floor of the car, and slammed the trunk, leaving Jack alone in total darkness again.


	7. Chapter 7

“It feels so… wrong to be here right now.” Kim sighed as she sat down next to Milton and Jerry on the bench by their lockers. They had decided that getting back to school would provide some semblance of distraction, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of Jack’s locker door. It had been decorated with notes, cards, even balloons and stuffed animals all tacked up by students of Seaford High. 

“I know…” Jerry ran a hand through his hair. “It’s like I’m missing a part of me.” 

“It’s hard.” Milton agreed. “But, Jack wouldn’t want us to sit around a sulk. He’d want us to keep our chins up and look out for each other.” 

“You’re right.” Kim nodded. “But… he’s already been gone for three days. And after forty-eight hours the chances of finding a missing person-”

“Kim,” Milton grabbed her by the shoulders and made her face him, “don’t think about that. He’s not a statistic, he’s Jack.”

“Hey, Milton’s right.” Jerry put an arm around each of his friends’ shoulders. “The FBI is doing everything they can to track him down. They find people all the time. And remember what we said at the dojo the other day. This is Jack Brewer we’re talking about.” 

“This is Jack Brewer we’re talking about.” A mocking tone followed by the popping of a balloon made the trio’s heads whip back to Jack’s locker. Stood in front of it was Kai. 

“Kai, what the hell are you doing?!” Kim leaped up with Jerry and Milton close behind.

“This is pointless.” Kai grabbed a fistful of notes and tore them off of the locker. “He’ll never get to read these.” 

“That’s it!” Kim began her charge, but was quickly restrained by Milton and Jerry. “Let me at him!” 

“No, Kim, ignore him.” Milton tried to reason as he struggled to keep Kim from lunging. 

“He’s just trying to cause trouble!” Jerry added on. 

“I DON’T CARE!” Kim nearly broke free with her scream. 

“You guys really think he’ll come back?” Kai laughed. “They’re gonna find him dead in a ditch somewhere.” 

“Shut up Kai!” Jerry snapped back, tempted to go after the asshole himself. 

“You do realize you’re talking about an actual person right?” Milton was seething. “A person that you know! A person you’re related to! Jack is your goddamn cousin!” 

“I’m just telling you the truth.” Kai took a step forward, taunting the restrained Kim. “If he couldn’t take down the geezer to begin with, how is he gonna get away?” 

“FUCK YOU!” Kim screeched and wrenched her arm out of Milton’s grip, which gave her enough leeway to land a sloppy kick to Kai’s nose. 

“WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?” Principal Funderburk appeared from around the corner. 

“Kim broke my nose!” Kai pointed dramatically as he attempted to staunch the bleeding. 

“Because he was destroying Jack’s locker!” Jerry jumped in.

“And slandering Jack!” Milton finished. 

“Kai.” Funderburk seethed. “My office. Now.” 

“But-”

“NOW!” Kai glared at the trio as he stalked away and Funderburk turned back to the others. “I hope you kids are doing alright. Stay strong, okay?” 

“Thanks, Principal Funderburk.” Milton nodded. “We’ll try our best.” 

“That’s all you can do.” Funderburk smiled before turning on his heel and following Kai. 

“Well, we should probably clean this up.” Kim dragged her feet over to Jack’s locker and slowly knelt down to start picking up the crumpled papers. 

“You okay?” Jerry asked when he saw tears brimming in Kim’s eyes. 

“Yeah, fine.” She sniffed defiantly and blinked the tears away. 

“Kim, don’t listen to Kai.” Milton gathered some notes and cards. “He’s just a jerk who thinks he’s cool for kicking people when they’re already down.” 

“You don’t think I know that?” Kim stood and started taping the wrinkly messages back to Jack’s locker with a bit more force than she needed. “I just… I can’t believe someone can be so cruel.” 

“I know.” Milton agreed as he tacked up a stuffed panda that was wearing a tiny gi. “I can’t imagine saying something like that about my own family. 

“That guy is seriously disturbed.” Jerry nodded.

“I wasn’t talking about Kai.” Kim tried not to let her shaking fingers further crumple the notes she was holding. “His own stepfather… I can’t...” she stuck the last note in her hand up and began speed walking away. 

“Where are you going?” Jerry called. 

“The dojo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Isn't Kai just the worst? I love writing him! Asshole characters are always the most fun to work with. 
> 
> Anyway. I hope y'all are enjoying the trainwreck! I'm certainly having fun cleaning it up! Leave me a comment if you feel like it so we can chat!


	8. Chapter 8

It was too cold to sleep. Once the car stopped running and the sun fully set, Jack found himself shivering as he watched his breath form clouds as it left his body. His gi did little to defend against the chill that grabbed hold of his skin and crept into his bones. Before long, he couldn’t feel his hands, feet, or nose. He tried his best to curl into a ball to warm himself up as much as possible, but that only resulted in his shoulders tightening and aching even more. His mouth was already dry again, and he could feel his lips beginning to chap. His stomach was gurgling almost constantly, begging for something to eat. His head was pounding with every beat of his heart. Jack had never been so uncomfortable in his life. 

Jack nearly jumped out of his skin when the trunk popped open and Gareth threw an unrolled sleeping bag at him. “There.” He rolled his eyes at the shaking boy. 

“Why?” Jack blurted before he could think better. 

“Because my buddy doesn’t want a dead missing kid on his property, and I don’t want a dead missing kid in my car.” Gareth snapped back. 

“Well...” Jack couldn’t believe what he was about to do. “Thank you.” He wasn’t sure how he got the words out through his chattering teeth. 

“There’s that respect I’ve been looking for.” Gareth chuckled. Jack just glared back. “And to think, you might not even be here had you learned that respect sooner. Such a shame that it took you so long.” 

Jack bit his tongue to keep from hurling obscenities at Gareth regarding their situation. He didn’t want to stir up trouble or get his mouth taped shut again. 

“Don’t think this changes anything.” Gareth reached up to shut the trunk. “Remember, I’m only keeping you alive until I don’t need you anymore.” And with that, Jack was left alone in the dark again. 

It took some maneuvering, but Jack eventually managed to get his entire body under the sleeping bag. Slowly but surely, his breath warmed the space beneath the sleeping bag, and his shivering died down. He still wasn’t warm, but was no longer unintentionally shaking the entire car. Eventually, despite his aching body, Jack managed to drift off to sleep. 

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

_“Jack.” It sounded like his name was being called from miles away. “Jack.” Was that…? No it couldn’t be. “Jack, wake up.”_

_He groggily opened his eyes and rolled over to see his father was indeed the one calling his name. “Dad…?”_

_“Morning, champ.” His dad smiled as Jack sat up and tossed his comforter aside._

_“Dad, what…? How...? Dad!” Jack leaped out of bed and practically threw himself at his father, wrapping his arms as tightly around him as he could._

_“Woah, what’s all that about?” his dad laughed and hugged him back._

_“Nothing, nothing.” Jack finally let go and looked up at his dad, holding back tears of joy. “I just… I love you.”_

_“I love you too, Jack.” His dad smiled and ruffled Jack’s hair. “Now get ready, we have to leave for the tournament in less than an hour.”_

_“Tournament?”_

_“Today determines if you go to the international championship, remember?” Jack’s dad pressed a hand to his forehead. “Are you feeling okay? You were so excited yesterday.”_

_“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” Jack ducked out from under his dad’s hand. “Just, nervous I guess.”_

_“You have nothing to be nervous about.” His dad assured. “I’ve never seen a martial artist with more passion and dedication than you, Jack. Just leave everything out there on the mat and be proud of yourself. Do what your old man couldn’t.”_

_“What you couldn’t?” Jack let his father guide him to the edge of his bead and they sat down together._

_“I never told you about my national championship?”_

_“I don’t think so.”_

_“Well, I had gotten through to the semi-finals, taken down some of the best martial artists in America. Everyone at my dojo who came to cheer me on was sure I would make it to the top. Even your grandfather was getting cocky.”_

_“Really? Grandpa was cocky?” Jack’s grandfather had taught him never to be sure of anything, especially not victory. Always expect the unexpected is what he would tell Jack before each fight._

_“Well, he told me he would be shocked if I didn’t win.”_

_“But you lost?”_

_“No, I didn’t even make it to the mat.” His dad laughed. “When I got up for my fight, I stepped on my own belt and took a header into a table.”_

_“Seriously?” Jack burst out laughing with his dad._

_“Seriously. I had to forfeit because apparently you can’t fight while being rushed to the hospital because your head won’t stop bleeding.”_

_“Oh my god!” Jack couldn’t contain himself and doubled over laughing._

_“I know, it’s ridiculous.” His dad shook his head and pulled Jack into a tight side hug. “But there is a big difference between you and me.”_

_“I won’t step on my belt and fall before my fight?” Jack leaned into his dad’s embrace._

“Well, two big differences.” His dad shrugged. “I was talking about your drive. I always fought to be better than others. You fight to be the best you can be. You’ve always understood martial arts on a much deeper level than I could ever grasp. Even if I hadn’t tripped and concussed myself, I wouldn’t have made it to the international championship. I would have been too focussed on being the best instead of doing my best. That was ultimately why I gave up karate. I realized I would never be the best, no matter how hard I trained, and I couldn’t handle it. But you would never let something like that stop you.” 

_“Well, that’s not entirely true…” Jack sighed, remembering his hiatus. “I quit for two years after Kai beat me, remember?”_

_“Hey, you didn’t quit.” His dad gave him a squeeze. “Even if you weren’t training in a dojo, you lived by the Wasabi Code until that flame was rekindled. You never stopped being a martial artist. Not for a second. And I saw you practicing your routines in the backyard.”_

_“You did?” Jack sat up with wide eyes. “I thought I only did that when nobody was home!”_

_“Not always.” His dad winked. “Now come on, Jack-Attack. Get ready or we’ll be late!”_

.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.o0o.

The image of Jack’s dad’s smiling face slowly dissolved as his last sentence echoed around the room. Jack grunted and tried to roll over, but soon remembered where he was and groaned. 

“Of course it was just a dream…” he whispered to himself and began the process of wriggling out from under the sleeping bag.


	9. Chapter 9

Seeing as there was absolutely nothing to do in the trunk of the car, Jack opted to try and sleep as much as possible to keep himself from going absolutely insane. It wasn’t as if he was going to miss anything important. Plus, he couldn’t feel pain when he was sleeping. When he woke, however, his world was not in any way pleasant. 

His stomach felt as though it was turning itself inside out. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d eaten, but cafeteria food definitely didn’t last very long in one’s system. If someone had told him his brain had been inflated with a bike pump, Jack would have believed them. He’d never experienced such a migraine in his life. It seemed as though he had permanent foot cramps that made it impossible for his toes to uncurl, and his ever-tightening calves weren’t helping that situation. His ankles and wrists constantly stung from the unrelenting rope burn. His throat hurt more than the time he had strep. There was a pain in his lower back that he had never experienced before, and would never want anyone else to experience. And his shoulders. Dear god his shoulders. Before this experience, Jack had thought the worst muscle aches were those you get as you come out of your splits on a sore day. But the pain in his shoulders was at least a thousand times more intense. With every breath, he groaned. Every time he moved he couldn’t help but hiss. And every time the car hit a patch of anything but purely flat road, he wanted to scream. He did scream a couple of times when speedbumps or brake checks were involved. All Jack knew was that if he made it out of this alive, he would never, ever, complain about stretching again. 

_“If I make it out alive…”_ that thought caught him off guard. Sure, Gareth had already said he planned to kill Jack, but the gravity of that threat hadn’t hit him until just then. _“holy shit I gotta get out of here.”_ he couldn’t leave his mom alone. Not like this. Not after everything they’d been through. He had to escape. There was no other option.

Jack’s eyes began darting around as if they would find something he hadn’t yet observed in the cramped space he’d been stuck in for who knows how long. Obviously, he didn’t find anything. 

He’d seen in a few movies that if you were ever put in the trunk of a car, you were supposed to kick the taillight out and wave so another driver would call the police, but he didn’t want to risk Gareth noticing the noise, a flying tail light, or his tied feet sticking out the back of the car. He was sure Gareth would take the next exit and either change course before the cops could catch up, or dispose of Jack right then and there somehow. So that left him with one option. 

“This is gonna hurt…” He mumbled to himself. 

Jack got himself turned around and bit down on a section of the sleeping bag he’d been given to muffle the screams he anticipated. He then flipped onto his back with a groan and got to work. 

What seemed like an eternity of stretching and screaming later, Jack gave a final push and his wrists were behind his knees. His shoulders were on fire, even more so than before. He was almost sure he’d dislocated one of them as he forced them past his butt. 

“Hard parts over.” He told himself after he spat out the surprisingly dry sleeping bag. He couldn’t quite tell whether it hurt or not when his feet were forced to flex as he slipped them through the loop that was his arms. Normally calf stretches felt amazing, but this one was in some kind of grey area between fantastic and excruciating. 

“Okay…” He sighed to himself and tried to ignore the agony in his shoulders. He brought his hands to his mouth to begin untying his wrists, but hesitated before going for his feet instead. He wasn’t sure how much longer they would be driving, or if Gareth planned to give him water when they stopped. If he only had time to undo one knot, he could run and fight with his hands tied; his feet, not so much. Hopping wouldn’t get him far. 

It took him a while to even find the knot in his ankle binds. His fingers were nearly numb from circulation loss, and the rope had been wrapped so many times it was near impossible to tell what was a knot and what was just twisted, overlapping fibers. 

“Come on…” he wanted nothing more than to sit up so he could at least attempt to see what he was doing, but the trunk wasn’t deep enough to allow for that, so he was stuck on his side in a position that slightly resembled a butterfly stretch, fighting with knots he could barely even feel. 

“Yes, yes!” he celebrated quietly when the rope fell slack and he was able to kick it off of his ankles. He sighed in relief as his raw skin finally got a break from the abrasive binds and felt fresh air for the first time in days. “Okay, you got this.” He told himself after a second. 

The adrenaline was high and kept Jack’s mind off of the pain he was in as he tried to find the knot in the ties around his wrists in the near pitch-black darkness of the trunk. He eventually got his teeth around what he hoped was the knot, but his excitement was short-lived as he felt the familiar sensation of the car merging off of the highway. 

“Shit!” He hissed around the rope in his mouth. “Calm down.” He commanded to his beating heart. He reminded himself that he’d fought countless black belts and won all but once. He’d even taken down Kai with a broken hand. He could do this. All he had to do was stun Gareth enough to get a head start and run for his life. 

Jack’s heart began beating even faster when he felt the car slow and the ignition turned off. He’d gotten the rope to loosen enough that he could shift his wrists around, but not completely free them. 

“Well, that’ll have to do.” He breathed as quietly as possible. “You’ve got this.” 

Jack planted his hands and rolled onto his knees with his toes dug into the floor. As soon as the trunk opened, he would have to make his move. He waited, not daring to move a muscle, listening intently as the car door opened and slammed. He heard Gareth’s footsteps crunching through what sounded like gravel, then some far off voices. Jack stayed poised, ready to spring. 

After a few minutes, he heard the crunching footsteps returning to the car. Every muscle in his body tensed as he waited. 

The footsteps stopped slightly to his right. 

There was a brief jingling of keys. 

The trunk opened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the hiatus, life got crazy. Anyway, I hope this cliff hanger doesn't last too long, but no promises! Leave me a comment if you want, if not, no big. Thanks for the support and kind words! <3


	10. Chapter 10

Jack's eyelids fluttered open for a second, catching a blur of green before they fell shut. Again, he tried to force his lids to rise, and again he saw green for a moment.

"Where am I?" he wondered as he tried to focus all of his energy into his eyelids. He managed to blink a few times, fighting the urge to just close his eyes and go back to sleep. Slowly, his surroundings came into focus.

The green blur he previously saw sharpened into individual blades of grass. Grass which he was sprawled in. Beyond the grass, there were trees, which didn't provide him any protection from the chill in the air. As he fully came around, he realized just how cold it was, and just how much pain he was in.

"A forest?" He muttered to himself as he tried to lift his face out of the dirt. His head felt three times heavier than normal, and the world seemed to tilt sideways as he lifted it. "Shit…" he grabbed a fistful of grass to steady himself, but still felt as though he was able to feel the earth's rotation as he lay there on the ground.

"Focus." He took a breath and got his right hand under him. "Mind over matter…" he tried to bring his left arm up to match his right, but a jolt of pain ran from his fingers to his shoulder as soon as he pressed his hand into the ground. He cried out and pulled his arm to his chest. His fingers wouldn't move. His mind jumped back to China when Kai's friends had broken his hand. It was the same sensation.

"It's fine." Jack took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "You can get up with one hand." He told himself, but screamed in pain once more when he tried to pull his left leg under him. "Fuck." he buried his face into his good arm, surprised at the lack of tears. "WHAT THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" He roared into the ground. Big mistake.

The yell sent him into the most painful coughing fit of his life. His ribs felt like they were being hit with a sledgehammer. His head spun and a knife twisted in his brain. His throat was being torn to shreds with shards of glass. His broken limbs sent lightning through his body with each twitch.

When he finally got his lungs under control, Jack was panting hard. His mouth tasted like metal, and he looked down to see blood splattered on his arm and the grass in front of him. "Ow…" he croaked out and let his head fall back to the ground.

"I give up." He breathed, barely able to hear himself. He felt his shivering grow stronger as he let his eyes slip shut again. "I give up…."

"A Wasabi Warrior never gives up." Jack's eyes shot open at the voice.

"Grandpa?" Jack raised his head just enough to see his grandfather standing a few feet ahead of him.

"Jack, I taught you better than that." His grandfather shook his head.

"But Grandpa… I can't move half my body." Jack pointed out and another jolt of pain shot through him.

"But you can move the other half."

"I really don't think this is the time for a glass half full lecture."

"Jack." His grandfather warned. "Recite the Wasabi Code."

"What does the Wasabi Code have to do with-?"

"Recite it!"

Jack took a breath to steady himself. "We swear by the light of the dragon's eye to be loyal, and honest, and never…" He choked on his words as he realized what his grandpa was getting at.

"Never…?"

"Never… say die…" he looked back up at his grandpa and was surprised to see a smile.

"Never say die." His grandpa nodded.

"I'm sorry, grandpa, but I really don't know if I can do this…" Jack could already feel his head lowering back to the ground as the strength left his neck.

"That doesn't sound like you." Jack's head snapped back up and he met his father's eyes.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Jack-Attack." His dad smiled.

"Dad, what are you doing here?"

"Reminding you that the Jack I know and love isn't a quitter."

"But, I don't even know where I am."

"And you never will if you don't start moving."

"Dad I'm sorry but I-"

"Don't do it for you. Do it for the people who love you." Those words hit jack like a train. "Think of your mom. And your sensei. And your friends."

"They think I'm dead…"

"All the more reason to fight!" His grandfather was speaking the same way he did when they would train. Encouraging, firm, and absolutely no room to disagree. "Jack, fight." With that, his grandpa turned and walked away.

"Wait!" Jack called. "Don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry, buddy." His dad smiled sadly before turning to follow his grandpa. "You have to handle this one on your own."

"Dad! Grandpa!" he reached out for the figures, but they were already too far away. "Screw it." Jack grit his teeth, reached forward with his right arm, dug the toes of his right foot into the ground behind him, and dragged himself forward a couple of inches. His entire body was screaming, but he ignored it. "We swear by the light of the dragon's eye…" he grunted as he dragged himself forward again. "To be loyal," his left foot caught on a tree branch and he hissed, but kept moving forward, "and honest," slowly but surely he was making progress, "and never say die."

He repeated the mantra of his life through clenched teeth as he dragged himself across the forest floor. Every nerve in his body was on fire. All he wanted was to lay down and fall asleep. But when Jack Brewer started something, he finished it.

"I swear by the light of the dragon's eye to be loyal, and honest, and never… say… die!" Jack's arm gave out and his head collapsed to the ground, sweat pouring, lungs burning, body screaming. He couldn't move another inch. "I'm sorry…" he whispered through hyperventilated breaths. "Dad… Grandpa… I'm sorry…"

"Well, done, Jack." He opened his eyes to see his grandpa standing above him. And behind his grandpa… a highway. A highway with cars speeding past.

"There's my Jack-Attack." His dad appeared, grinning from ear to ear.

"How…?" was all Jack could manage.

"You fought." His grandpa nodded.

"The hardest part is over." His dad assured.

"What…?" Jack tried to swallow, but his mouth may as well have been made of sandpaper. "What do I do now?"

"You've done what you can." His father's expression was grim. "Somebody else will have to take it from here."

"Jack." His grandfather kneeled a few inches away. "I've never been more proud of anybody in my life."

"That goes double for me." His dad knelt as well. "You are such a champion. I love you. So much."

"I love you too." Jack was fighting with everything he had to keep his eyes open. "Thank you, both of you." He lost his fight momentarily and his eyes shut for a second. When he opened them, his dad and grandpa were gone.


	11. Chapter 11

“I told you to take the last exit.” Evelynn rolled her eyes as her husband huffed and grumbled about being stuck on the highway. 

“Well the GPS said the exit wasn’t for three miles!” Daniel shot back. 

“Yeah, it said that three miles ago. And then it died.” 

“We really need to start remembering to bring the charger with us.” 

“We? What do you mean ‘we’?” Evelynn scoffed and looked out at the forest beyond her window. “I pack the luggage, you get the car ready. That includes gas, tires, and GPS.” 

“But cables and chargers go in our luggage, so technically the GPS charger would fall under your responsibilities.” 

As her husband began his ramble, Evelynn caught sight of something moving on the edge of the forest. “Daniel.” 

“And since I drive, you’re the navigator, so you should really be in charge of the GPS anyway.” 

“Daniel.” 

“Oh and let’s not forget-”

“DANIEL!” Evelynn finally got her husband’s attention. “Pull over!” 

“What? Why?”

“There’s someone laying out there, pull over!” Evelynn pointed out what she could now make out to be a person sprawled on the other side of the guard rail. 

“Holy shit.” Daniel breathed when he saw what his wife was pointing to and immediately turned on his hazards to stop the car. 

Before they even came to a complete stop, Evelynn had her seatbelt undone and had jumped out of the car. “Evelynn!” Daniel called, but she ignored him. She vaulted over the guard rail, ran to the boy, and slid to the ground next to him. 

“Hey, are you okay?” Evelynn brushed a lock of tangled hair back from the boy’s face and saw his eyes fluttering. She quickly began stripping off her jacket and turned back towards the car and shouted to her husband. “CALL AN AMBULANCE!” 

“Already on it!” Daniel called back. 

When Evelynn looked back at the boy his eyes were open and he was trying to lift his head off the ground. “Hey, sweetheart, can you hear me?” She laid her cardigan over him in an attempt to quell his tremor. 

“Water…” Evelynn could hardly hear the croaking whisper. “Please…” 

“Daniel, give me the phone, get water! And something to cover him!” 

“Hold on, I’m giving you to my wife.” He handed the phone over and sprinted back to the car. 

“Hello?” Evelynn asked once she had the phone to her ear. 

“Your husband says you found a body?” the 911 operator responded. 

“No! Not a body!” Evelynn was horrified at the notion. “No, he’s alive!” 

“Okay, is he conscious?” 

“Barely.” Evelynn cringed as the boy writhed and twitched beneath her cardigan. “But he just asked me for water.” 

“Here!” Daniel skidded to the ground with a bottle of water and a blanket from one of their suitcases. She traded him for the phone. “Hi, I’m back apparently.” 

“I’m sorry about this, hon.” Evelynn apologized as she slid her hands under the boy’s shoulder and hip and rolled him on his back as gently as she could. She apologized over and over as he grunted and groaned and squeaked in pain. All the while Daniel was attempting to explain to the operator where they were. “Okay, here you go.” She readjusted the cardigan and threw the blanket over him before propping his head on her leg and giving him a small sip of water. “Take it slow.” She advised when he looked like he was going to reach for the bottle. “If you drink too fast you’ll throw up.” Suddenly that first aid certification course didn’t seem like such a waste of time. 

“Where am I?” the boy asked after he’d had about a quarter of the water. 

“Frederic, Michigan.” Evelynn brushed more hair off his face. “On I-75.” 

“Michigan…?” he seemed bewildered. 

“Can you tell me your name, hon?” 

“My name...” He had to think for a second. “My name is… Jack… Jack Brewer.” 

“Jack Brewer?” Evelynn’s heart stopped. “Daniel!” He came jogging back over, having stepped away to talk to the operator. “This is Jack Brewer. The kid who when missing in California!” 

“Holy shit.” Daniel’s eyes widened as he relayed the information. 

Evelyn looked over Jack as she continued to feed him small sips of water. She’d seen his face on the news daily, but hadn’t even recognized the poor kid. His face was bruised and swollen and there were a couple of trails of blood running down his chin from his mouth. He looked nothing like the pictures of the happy, healthy athlete who had taken over mainstream media for the past week. 

“You’re gonna be okay, Jack.” Evelynn shook her head and snapped out of her trance. “There’s an ambulance on the way.” 

“So cold…” He whimpered. Evelynn’s heart broke. Nobody deserved this. Especially not a kid. 

“Daniel, ask if it would be safe to move him to the car to warm him up.” 

“Can we move him to our car? He’s wearing a t-shirt and shaking like a leaf.” He listened for a moment before giving Evelynn a regretful look and shaking his head. “Could make his injuries worse. I’m gonna wait by the car to flag down the ambulance, the operator said about ten minutes.” 

“Shit!” She glanced down to Jack as her husband dashed back to the car again and saw his eyes sliding shut. “Hey, keep your eyes open, sweetheart. Don’t go to sleep, okay Jack?”

“Tired…” He protested but managed to pry his eyes open again. 

“What’s going on?” A new voice startled Evelynn and she turned to see two girls who couldn’t be much older than Jack heading towards them. 

“He’s hurt, do you have blankets or extra jackets or anything?” Evelynn begged. 

One of the girls turned to the other. “Payts, we’ve got coats!” 

“I got ‘em!” The girl-Payts-headed back to their car. 

“I’m Rae, that’s Payton.” She gestured with her head as she peeled her hoodie off and draped it over the shaking form. 

“I’m Evelynn, that’s my husband Daniel.” She nodded behind her. 

“I found them!” Payton dropped the coats as she knelt next to Rae and covered Jack in two heavy winter coats. Once they were adjusted to her liking, she took a look at the injured boy. “Holy shit, you’re Jack Brewer.” 

“Wait, seriously?” Rae’s eyes widened and she actually bothered to look at the battered face for the first time. “Fuck, you’re right.” 

“Jack… That’s me…” his voice was breathy and quiet. 

“That’s right hon, you’re Jack.” Evelynn smiled and continued giving him water. “You gotta keep those eyes open for me, okay?” 

“Hey, Jack,” Rae smiled as an idea came to her, “check out my tattoos!” She began showing off her near-complete sleeve, giving a brief explanation of each one and smiling when Jack made comments of “pretty,” “wow,” and “I want one.” 

About halfway through tattoo show and tell, the sound of sirens pierced the air and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh thank god!” Evelynn smiled. “You’re gonna be just fine, Jack, you hear me?” 

Seconds later, the ambulance pulled up to where Daniel was waving his arms, just ahead of the parked cars. Three paramedics jumped out and moved everyone back while they did a preliminary assessment and loaded Jack onto a stretcher. 

“Which hospital are you taking him to?” Evelyn called when the medics were packing him into the back of the ambulance. 

“Otsego Memorial.” One of the medics called back before she slammed the door and the vehicle sped off. 

“You okay?” Daniel was back by Evelynn’s side, wrapping her in her cardigan and the blanket to combat the tremor she’d developed. 

“I will be.” She nodded. 

“Nice thinking with the tattoo tour.” Payton wrapped her arms around Rae once her hoodie was back on to share some warmth. 

“Well, I would have told him to look at the trees or something, but they all look the same.” Rae shrugged. 

“Rae, Payton.” Evelynn called and the two pairs met up by their cars with their belongings piled between them. “Thank you, girls.” 

“It’s nothing.” They replied in unison and smirked at each other the way they always did when that happened. 

“It’s not.” Daniel gave them a smile. “So many other people just drove past. You stopped to help.” 

“Well, we couldn’t just not see what was going on.” Payton once again latched around Rae’s waist and nuzzled her head into her girlfriend’s neck. 

“We just aren’t the bystander type.” Rae smiled. “Evelynn, you’re the hero here. You knew to keep him warm and awake and all that.” 

“How about we say we all did a good deed and call it a day?” Evelynn offered. 

“Sounds good.” Payton agreed and Daniel and Rae nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the hiatus, guys! I got a new job and have been working non-stop, so this story kind of had to sit on the backburner for a while. I promise I will finish it, there just might be long waits between chapters is all! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all are still enjoying the story, feel free to let me know what to think in the comments!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if the Kickin' It fandom still exists, but if you do, sound off! This is the best show from my middle/high school years, and it got me through a lot. I'd love to find some people who remember this masterpiece!


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